Vegetable-cutting machine.



P. RYAN.

VEGETABLE CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION IILED JAN. 17, 1914.

6 'Paup RYHN Patented June 9, 1914..

3 MEETS-SHEET 1.

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VEGETABLE OUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.17,1914.

1,099,205 Patented June 9,1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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PAUL RYAN, OF MANILLA,

IOWA.

VEGETABLE-CUTTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedJune 9, 1914.

Application filed January 17, 1914. Serial No. 812,775.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, PAUL RYAN, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Manilla, in the county of Crawford andState of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVegetable- Cutting Machines, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to vegetable cutting machines and moreparticularly to a machine for cutting seed potatoes, the inventionhaving for its primary object to provide means for expeditiously cuttinga large number of potatoes into a multiplicity of small sections forplanting purposes.

The invention has for another of its objects to provide a machine of theabove character embodying yieldably mounted cutting knives, means forfeeding the potatoes to said knives, and additional means yieldablyengaging the potatoes to hold the same in position upon the feedingmeans for proper engagement with the knives.

The invention has for still another of its objects to provide a knifeframe with a plurality of crossed or intersecting knives mountedtherein, and means for removably mounting said frame in the mainframe ofthe machine for yielding vertical movement with respect thereto.

The invention has for ;a still further object to produce a vegetablecutting machine ing description and accompanying drawings,

in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vegetable cutting machineembodying my invention in its preferred form. Fig. 2 is a top plan viewthereof. Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is asection taken on the line 4l-4i of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail verticalsection taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a detail perspectiveview of one of the cutting knives removed from the frame.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 des ignates the uprights of themain frame of the machine, connected at their upper ends by longitudinaland transverse bars 6 and 7 respectively, said u irights being alsoconnected intermediate of their ends by the longitudinal bars 8 andadjacent their lower ends by means of the transverse bars 9.

A feed hopper, indicated at 10, is mounted upon the corresponding frameuprights 5 and is obliquely inclined upwardly toward its discharge end.The bottom of this hopper is extended inwardly from the frame uprights,as shown at 11, and this extension is provided in its end with thespaced 1ongintudinal slots 12 to accommodate the sprocket wheels 13fixed upon a transverse shaft 14 which is mounted in suitable bearings15 upon the longitudinal frame bars 8. These sprocket wheels aretraversed by the chains 19 which are adapted to pass over the uppersurface of the bottom wall of the feed hopper l0 and around the sprocketwheels 16 which are mounted in yoke members 17. These yoke members areattached to the rods 18 which have threaded engagement in a transversebar 19 mounted in the lower end of the hopper 10 and between said wallsthereof. It will be readily understood that by simply adjusting theserods in the bar 19, the feed chains 19 may be easily and quickly removedor slack in the chains taken up. The end wall 20 of the hopper 10 isprovided in its lower portion with slots 21 for the accommodation ofsaid .U-shape form is mounted between the side bars 8 of the main frame.The vertical legs of this frame have their lower ends seated upon thesprings 25 mounted in the housings 26 which are secured to the bars 8.The frame 24 also includes a plate 27 extending in parallel relation tothe intermediate portion of the frame and the vertical division plates28. Between these latter plates the cut i g kn ves are arranged directthe potatoes against the blades at their intersecting points. Verticallydisposed rods 30 are loosely mounted in a transverse bar 31 which isfixed at its ends to the upper longitudinal bar 6 of the main frame. The

lower ends of these rods extend through openings provided in theintermediate portion of the frame 24 and have clamping nuts 32 threadedthereon, whereby said frame may be vertically adjusted upon the rods.

Springs 33 are arranged upon said rods and bear at their lower ends uponthe frame 24 and at their upper ends against the bar 31. These lattersprings inaddition to the lower springs .25 serve to yieldingly hold theknife frame against vertical movement with respect to the main frame ofthe machine.

A'rod or bar 34 is loosely mounted at its ends in the correspondingframe uprights 5 and a plurality of spaced blades 35 are secured to, orformed upon, this rod. These blades project toward the. cutting knivesand through each of them the lower end of a rod 36 is loosely disposed.The upper ends of these rods are secured in a transverse bar '37 whichis secured at its ends to the frame bars 6. Coil springs 38 are disposedupon the rods 36 and act to force the blades 35 downwardly upon thepotatoes as they are directed by the moving chains 13 against theintersecting knife blades 29.

One end of the shaft 14 is provided with a band wheel 38 to receive adriving belt extending from an engine or other suitable source of power,and the opposite end of this shaft is provided with a fly wheel 39. Thislatter end of the shaft is further equipped with a sprocket wheel 40which is connected by means of the chain 41 to a similar sprocket wheel42 on the end of the shaft of a roller 43 which is suitably mounted inthe main frame of the machine. A second roller 44 is also mounted in themain frame and upon these rollers the elevating belt 45 is arranged.This belt .is disposed at an inclination as shown and is furtherprovided with slats or cleats so that the cut. vegetables will be caughtthereby and discharged from the upper end of the elevator.

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it is believed that the construction, manner of operation andthe several advantages of the invention will be clearly and fullyunderstood, V

The potatoes or other vegetables are of which they are finallydischarged into, a suit- M able receptacle. 7,

It will be appreciated that a machine constructed in accordance with myinvention as above described will be very efficient in its operation andcapable of properly and 0 quickly cutting a large number of potatoes orother vegetables for plantingpurposes.

The machine as a whole is very simple in its construction and may bemanufactured at a relatively small cost.

While I have shown 7 p and described the preferred construction andarrangement of the several elements 'em ployed, it will be understoodthat my invention is susceptible of considerable modification thereinand I therefore reserve the privi lege of resorting to all. suchlegitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scopeof the invention as claimed. 7

What I claimis: V

. 1. In a machine of the character described, a main frame including ahopper mounted therein and provided upon its bottom wall with aplurality of longitudinalpartition walls forming a series of.compartments therein, feed chains movable over the bottom wall of thehopper in the several compartments thereof, a yieldably supportedverticallymovable frame mounted in themain frame at the upper ends ofsaid feed chains, a plurality of intersecting cutting knives mounted insaid latter frame, said chains directing the vegetables against theintersecting points of said knives, andimeans mounted above the upperends of the chains and having bearing. engagement with the vegetables tohold the same upon the chains as they are directed against the cuttingknives. V V

2. In a machine of the character described, a frame, including ahopperprovided with a plurality of longitudinal compartments therein mountedin said frame, endless feed chains movable through said'compartments,

a spring supported vertically movable frame mounted in the main frameof. the machine, a series of intersecting cutting knives mounted in thelatter frame, a transverse rod-jour 1 naled at its ends in the mainframe, a

plurality of spaced blades secured upon said .7

rod extending over the upper ends of the feed chains, springs bearingupon said blades and acting to force the same downwardly In testimonywhereof I hereunto affix my upon the potlateeis1 carried by therespectige signature in the presence of two witnesses. chains to ho d te same in osition to e directed against the cutting l nives at theirPAUL RYAN intersecting points, means for operating the Witnesses:

feed chains, and additional means for dis- F. L. VAN SLYKE,

charging the cut potatoes from the machine. EDW. THEOBALD.

Copies of this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

